How do you poem?

[Yerda]

I remember writing some appalling verses and some angsty teenage cringeness, but I read other people's words and I'm all, I should do that. But then nope, no poetry. How's it done?

 

[Jean-Pierre Chatelaine]

Google this for a start ... www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-poetry.html

 

[wizanda]

It's done by flowing,
without even knowing;
if you concentrate to much,
then you start to lose touch.
Find the words inside,
to show what is implied;
without coming across snide.
A handy hint for extra words,
can be to use a rhyming dictionary,
then you appear legendary,
as you tie words together like confectionery,
whilst stating something revolutionary.
Keep it simple, keep it sweet,
remember people dance to the beat;
so add rhythm,
whilst maintaining a system,
that stays with them.
​

 

[Tumah]

I'll try to explain it to you. If you can follow, well, the sky's the limit.

Start with a pen and paper.
It's best that the pen be turquoise for reasons that may become apparent to you later on. Fold the paper in half and split it down the middle. Now do that again to both pieces. Take the piece on your left side walk over to the sink and get just a droplet of water out of the tap. You should apply that to the center of the page. Use a ruler if necessary. Turn left to your fridge (if your fridge is on your right, chances are you will never be able to become a true poet). Open said fridge door take out one (1) squeeze bottle of dijonaise. Go right ahead and circle that wet dot you made on the paper with a squirt of mustard. This will be beneficial in finding the center later, once the dot has already dried. OK, let's head back to your table. Take the right page place it on the floor. Stand on it with the heal of your left shoe. Make sure to get a good heal print. If your shoe is not dirty or if you don't happen to wear shoes inside the house, put them on and go walk outside -without the dog- for about 15 minutes. Try to avoid clean sidewalks. Once you've returned and adequately printed your paper crumple it up well. Now un-crumple it. The page should now be much softer to work with. Cut three quarter-inch strips and lay the flat over the dijonaise circle. Cut another three and lay them transversely over the previous three. Get out your cell phone and order a burger. It doesn't matter from where, but the neophyte poet is recommended to order without ketchup. Too much ketchup may clog the flow of words. Put your tweed jacket on (if you don't have a tweed jacket, you probably should give up poetry at this point) and knock on your neighbor's door. Ask them for some Felix Ketchup. Invariably they won't have this. Go across the street to the neighbor with the dog. Ask them for some Marmite. One spoonful will do. Thanks. Yeah, just last week. Yeah thanks, you too. Have a nice day. Ok, when you get back home, use a straw to create a smaller circle within the original dijonaise ring. Do this by alternately sucking the Marmite up the straw and blowing it out of the straw in a circular shape. Once that is done, fold the entire paper twice: in half and then in half again. Wait for the burger to arrive. DO NOT PLACE PAPER IN BURGER. I understand it won't be easy, but its vital you avoid this. Once you have completed eating your burger, log onto religiousforums.com and read the linked post here. You should now be able to write poetry.

 

[Sunstone]

I don't know if this will work for you, Jaiket, but I usually begin with a sentence or phrase that has some kind of appeal (to me) to it, and a bit of a rhythm. Then I start associating the sentence or phrase with ideas, until I come across an idea that it seems to convey well. After which I turn the sentence or phrase over and over -- sometimes in my head, sometimes aloud -- while paying attention to its rhythm and trying to find words for the next line or two of the poem.

 

[Revoltingest]

I remember writing some appalling verses and some angsty teenage cringeness, but I read other people's words and I'm all, I should do that. But then nope, no poetry. How's it done?

I don't know about poetry, but inspiration for doggerel comes from several sources.
Sometimes...
- A word or phrase calls to me.
- A person or event demands to be mocked.
- Discussion proceeds with all posters rhyming.

 

[Brickjectivity]

There are many books about it.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I remember writing some appalling verses and some angsty teenage cringeness, but I read other people's words and I'm all, I should do that. But then nope, no poetry. How's it done?

In theory poetry is partly creative, partly clever and partly finding someone who will read it.

 

[Wu Wei]

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Anyone can do it
And you can too

 

[Yerda]

I don't know if this will work for you, Jaiket, but I usually begin with a sentence or phrase that has some kind of appeal (to me) to it, and a bit of a rhythm. Then I start associating the sentence or phrase with ideas, until I come across an idea that it seems to convey well. After which I turn the sentence or phrase over and over -- sometimes in my head, sometimes aloud -- while paying attention to its rhythm and trying to find words for the next line or two of the poem.

I've read an enjoyed a lot of your poems. The often seem to be held together by an idea. Do you know what you're aiming at of does it just come?

 

[Yerda]

I think part of the problem for me is that I want lyrical and sonorous material that is immediately profound. It comes out contrived and pointlessly wordy.

 

[Deidre]

Words that pour forth from your heart can never be 'wrong.' I say go with what feels right.

 

[Deidre]

Oh, and I like haikus ^_^

 

[Sunstone]

I've read an enjoyed a lot of your poems. The often seem to be held together by an idea. Do you know what you're aiming at of does it just come?

It's hard for me to answer that question because I'm not sure how often the idea comes first that suggests the words to me or how often a sentence or phrase comes first that suggests the idea to me. But I think you're right -- I usually compose around ideas.

I should have added earlier that I've found it helpful to try various styles or approaches to poetry, rather than seek a single ideal style. Doing that seems to free me from anxiety to do a good job. And anxiety to do a good job kills poetry before it even gets started.

 

[Brickjectivity]

A poem has to be so clever as to invoke a hopeless desire in others to imitate your skills!

 

[Sunstone]

I think part of the problem for me is that I want lyrical and sonorous material that is immediately profound. It comes out contrived and pointlessly wordy.

I don't think you need to try to be profound. You're naturally profound. If you just stick true to yourself, it will have some profoundness to it. You don't even need to try.